Electrical propulsion of canal-boats



A (No Model.)

A.G.MATHER. ELECTRICAL PROPULSION OP CANAL BOATS.

Patented July 28,A 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO C. MATHER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL'PROPULSION OF CANAL-BOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 564,629, dated July 28,1896. Application led December 1, 1893. Renewed May 20, 1896. Serial No.592,367. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALONZO C. MATHER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the ElectricalPropulsion of Canal-Boats and a Trolley for Use in Such Propulsion, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to have a means by which a canal-boat maybe run practically by electrical power and again to have a means bywhich the boat may be run from beneath the trolley-wires and yet have aconnection with them, also to have a means by which a boat when lying ata dock or beside a canal may be started by electrical power directlyfrom those places instead of having to be placed beneath thetrolley-wires before electrical power can be used, as now has to be done5 also to inclose the ltrolleywires so they will not be liable to bestretched or broken by the strain of the boat on them or liable toinjure people on the boat by coming in contact with them when passingunder bridges and low places. I accomplish these objects by the meansillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis alongitudinal section of a canalboat, showing the trolley-wires, trolley,motor, dac. in elevation. Fig. 2 is a partial plan and partial sectionalview showing a plan of the windlass and motors, Snc. Fig. 3 is asideelevation of my peculiarly-constructed trolley and a section of thetrolley-wires and supports as used in this construction. Fig. 4 is afront elevation of said trolley with wiresupports. Fig. 5 is a detailview of the clasping device on the trolley, and Fig. 6 is a sectionalview of the same.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the various views.

In the drawings, A represents a canal-boat.

a represents a motor placed in the stern of the canal-boat, one beingplaced on each side of the keelson, and are so placed on the bottom ofthe boat or bed that they may be adjusted up and down, as may bedesired, by screws. Directly connected with lthe shaft of the motor isthe propeller-shaft b, which passes through the stern of the boat and isattached to the propeller B. Thus a direct connection between the motorand propeller is made, no use being had of intermediate gears. By thismeans a great loss of friction is saved.

The trolley-wire supports and the trolley used as a part of my inventionare of peculiar construction, which is as follows: The trolley-wire M,which carries the electrical current,is placed on the inside of theL-shaped iron N. Attached to the top of said iron is By means of thecanal, being supported by posts on said r banks till it is of therequired height. This rod Q may be made of a steel or iron rod, or, ifmore convenient, of a wire rope. The L- irons N are made in sectionswith the copper trolley-wire M attached to it, and in placing inposition the copper wire may be united by a lap union or any other meansgiving a full and ready current of electricity. There are two L-ironswith the lower part of the L, upon which is placed the trolley-wire,facing each other, and thus the trolley-wire is entirely inside of theseL-irons. Said irons are covered on the outside with an insulatingpaintS, and thus any danger of a shock vfrom it is obviated.

My trolley is a double-wheel 1 trolley, one wheel being used to take thecurrent vand the other to return it, making a return-circuit by means ofthe two wires M M. The trolley is composed of the trolley-wheel L, whichruns on the trolley-wire, and the side plates G g, which form the mainconstruction of the trolley. Attached securely to the side g of thisconstruction isthe filling-block H. Fixed in this block is the bolt h,having on it a conical head. This bolt passes through a hole in the sidepiece Gr (see Fig. 6) and far enough beyond the outside of said sidepiece to allow the clamping-jaws I to fall in. behind it and preventitpulling back. These jaws are ordinary curved levers turning on apivot, and the points are held together by a spring be- IOO tween thethumb-pieces, which are on the back. This construction is clearly shownin Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. By this means the sides may be readilyseparated and placed together. This is necessary and a very importantfeature of my invention, as by it I am enabled to readily take thetrolley from the wires and their supports and just as readily replaceit. It is done as follows: A pressure is made on the end of theclamping-jaws I, which pulls the points up and lets the point of thebolt h pass through the hole in the plate G. Then by taking hold of thehandles T on the bottom of each of the side pieces the trolley-wheelsmay be thrown a little to the side and lifted out. Vhen placing on, thereverse is done,one trolley-Wheel bein g placed on, then the othercanted and placed on,'when the two sides may be clamped by pressing thepoint of the bolt h through the hole in G and between the points of theclamping-jaws I till they drop in back of it and hold it.

In the side pieces where they come opposite the bottom of the L-irons isplaced a small roller K. This is to reduce the friction in a side strainon the trolley by the boat being out from under the trolley.

The trolley-wire is held taut by means of passing over a windlass D,which windlass has on it a smaller drum, over which passes a cord E,attached to a Weight. This cord is Wound opposite from the trolley-cableand thus a constant tension is brought on it, tend* ing at all times tohold the boat under the cable. The current is taken from the Windlass tothe motors by the wire C, having in it a switch c near the back of thecabin, by which switch the power maybe readily thrown from the motors.

Having thus described my improvements, what I desire to claim as myinvention and secure by Letters Patent is= 1. In a system of canalpropulsiona rigid elevated track, a trolle7 traveling thereon, aflexible line extending from the trolley to a canal-boat, and means fortaking up the slack in said line, whereby the boat may be guided by saidtrolley and electrical connection, substantially as shown and described.

2. In an overhead trolley system, a set of two trolleywires, hung on theinside of a slotted continuous ineasement, combined with a trolley insuch a manner that said trolley is guided by the slot in said ineasementwhich ineasement is so arranged as to bear upon and prevent any lateralmovement of said trolley, all substantially as set forth.

3. A trolley composed of the trolley-wheels L, the side pieces G, gforming the main support for said trolley-wheels, the filling-block H,the bolt It, the clamping pieces or jaws I for holding the bolt h, andthe friction-rollers K, all substantially as and for the use set forth.

4. The construction for conveying electricity composed of the twotrolley-wires M, the two L-irons N, with the lower part of said L facingeach other and having near its ends the trolley-wires, theclamping-pieces O and the support-'rods Q, passing through saidclamping-pieces, all substantially as is described.

5. In a canal-boat, the combination of a trolley and the conducting-wireF with the 4 construction for taking up the slack of saidconducting-wire composed of the windlass D upon which said wire winds,the small drum d, the weight and the Weight-cord or its equivalent,which winds on said drum in such a manner that the pull of the weightturns the windlass in the proper direction to wind up theconducting-wire F all as set forth and described.

6. An insulated ineasement for electric trolley-wires, composed of twoL-irons so arranged that their edges form a guiding-slot for a trolley,all as is set forth and described.

7. A trolley composed of two parts, each having a wheel for contact withan electric circuit-wire, said parts being separated by an insulatedfilling-block, Which is combined with a clamping-catch in such a mannerthat said parts are held firmly together, when in position and saidwheels cannot change their relation to each other except by Aremovingsaid'parts from said block which is done by nnfastening saidclamping-catch, all as is described and set forth.

ALONZO C. IWIATHER.

Vitnesses J. J. MCCARTHY, A. E. T. HANsMANN.

